WIAC Championships Website

La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's track & field team leads after the first day of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships (presented by Culver's) Friday at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.

The Eagles have 126.0 team points after six scored events. UWL is seeking its 14th straight conference title and 40th in school history.

UW-Eau Claire is in second-place (42.0 points) with UW-Stout third (27.0). UW-Stevens Point is fourth (19.0) followed by UW-River Falls (9.0), UW-Oshkosh (5.0), UW-Platteville (4.0) and UW-Whitewater (2.0). 

Action continues Saturday, May 2 starting at 11 a.m.

The Eagles won two titles on Friday, including Maya Evans capturing her second career long jump title (19-7). She also won in 2024. 
Julia Zalewski won the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:34.79) on Friday, marking the sixth straight UWL has won the event. Emma Malooly won three consecutive (2021-23) titles while Katelyn Chadwick took first the last two seasons (2024-25). 

UWL had the top seven finishers in the long jump. Along with Evans capturing the title (19-7), Regan Scott was second (19-1 ¼), Ava Foley third (18-10 ¾), Josie Blum fourth (18-9 ¾), Amber Grosse fifth (18-9 ¼), Jenna Richgels sixth (18-7 ¼) and Rachel Halverson seventh (18-5 ¼).
 

The Eagles had five of the top seven in the pole vault on Friday with Madison Habberstad tying for second (12-10 ¼), while was Araceli De Leo Lopez fourth (12-6 ¼), Nora Waddell fifth (12-6 ¼), Emily Shafron sixth (12-0 ½) and Jackie Bergeron seventh (12-0 ½).

The Eagles' Jadyn Roden placed third (166-7) in the hammer throw. Noelle Hackenmueller finished fourth (126-2) and Grosse fifth (122-1) in the javelin throw.

Five of the top seven finishers in the 3,000-meter steeplechase were from UWL. Zalewski won the event (10:34.79) with Becca Immer second (10:36.30), Bryn Sato third (10:55.03), Sami Miller fourth (11:06.62) and Olivia Heilman seventh (11:22.07).

Lucile Duchac led UWL in the 10,000-meter run as she finished third overall (36:13.78). Madelynn McIntyre was fourth (36:19.34), Mallory Reiser fifth (36:24.91), Taylor Bussiere sixth (36:34.92), Milano Pisto seventh (36:35.10) and Ella Pahl eighth (37:04.24) to give the Eagles six of the top eight finishers overall.

UWL's Madeline Thoreson leads after the first four events in the heptathlon with 2,798 points. Hackenmueller is in fourth-place (2,624) with Emma Ridgway sixth (2,612) and Audrey Braun eighth (2,553). The heptathlon included the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash on Friday. The event concludes Saturday with the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run.

In preliminary track action on Friday, UWL advanced five sprinters to Saturday's 100-meter hurdles final and two in the 400-meter hurdles. 

Grosse (14.29), Brie Eckerman (14.55), Scott (14.59), Olivia Navin (14.59) and Megan Zemke (14.80) qualified in the 100-meter hurdles while Andie Otto (1:01.98) and Gretchen McNeal (1:04.32) advanced in the 400-meter hurdles. Grosse and Otto both recorded the top-qualifying times in their events. 

Five sprinters moved onto the 100-meter dash finals after the preliminaries, including Makenna Zak (12.00), Taylor Molling (12.00), Julie Yang (12.02), McKenna Sedlacek (12.04) and Anika Reiland (12.09).

Zak (24.84), Yang (24.88), Reiland (24.95) and Marley McIntyre (25.03) moved onto the final in the 200-meter dash.

In the 400-meter dash preliminaries, UWL advanced six of the nine finalists to Saturday's championship with Anna Plautz (54.76), Macy Reybrock (57.02), Zoe Lain (57.08), Grace Kern (57.21), Jocelyn Thomson (57.64) and Sarah Grubbs (57.85). Plautz set a WIAC Championship record (54.76), breaking the record of 55.08 set by Lexie Sondgeroth of UW-Whitewater in 2015.

Nora Jillson (2:17.80), Annika Elliott (2:17.88), Natasha Tiry (2:17.89), Alli Thomas (2:17.99) and Kylie Stockton (2:18.43) advanced to the 800-meter run finals.